Sensei and Student
by archangel77
Summary: A brief pause in the action of the 4th great ninja war, and Naruto finds himself out to lunch with Kakashi. The two engage in conversation and Naruto leaves with a smile on his face. one shot, no action, just a little scene of praise between sensei and student


Sensei and Student

"Come on Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted impatiently. As usual, Naruto was running off ahead, not wanting to make any longer than he had to for his delicious ramen.

"You're as impatient as ever…" Kakashi sighed as he slowly walked along, keeping his hands in his pockets. Naruto waited for Kakashi to catch up, letting his head rest against his hands as he held them behind his head. He was smiling that big goofy grin that he usually does when he's happy. The Leaf was still in the process of being rebuilt as things were starting to calm down, at least for a little while. Soon their enemies would return, and Naruto would have to step up to the plate once again.

"So, not that I'm complaining or anything, but why all of a sudden did you want to treat me to Ichiraku?" Naruto asked curiously.

"No reason in particular, but it has been a while since the last time you and I just sat down and talked without interruptions."

"Something on you mind?"

"Not really, I was actually more curious as to what's on your mind actually." Naruto looked at Kakashi as they walked into the new building that served as Ichiraku. Almost immediately upon entry he was welcomed and greeted by the villagers of the Leaf. People were saying things like, "Great job Naruto!" or "I know I can always count on you!" and to be honest, it made Naruto smile on the inside. He was finally getting the respect and admiration that he had wanted since he was a small boy. People praised him as a hero ever since the Pain incident, and even more so now during the time of The Great Ninja War.

"Hey, hey! There he is!" The owner of the store smiled as Naruto and Kakashi took their seats.

"Hey old man!" Naruto replied with a smile. "The place is turning out really nice, I'm sure that this Ichiraku is going to be a thousand times better than the old one!" The man let out a slight chuckle before he replied,

"Please, it's still the same old ramen, just a new building is all. So what'll it be today?"

"I'll take two bowls of the house special!" Naruto piped up cheerfully. He was smiling that grin again as he kept his elbows up on the table in anticipation of the fresh hot ramen that would be soon heading his way.

"And for you sir?" The man faced towards Kakashi.

"Nothing, I'm fine, thank you," Kakashi replied with a happy expression.

"Eh? Kakashi-sensei you're buying and you're not even going to eat anything?"

"I'm sure you'll eat enough for the both of us."

"Suit yourself! More ramen for me!" The man behind the counter disappeared for a few minutes but was soon back with two steaming hot bowls of ramen. He placed them down in front of Naruto, and within seconds, he had already began to chow down. Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle at Naruto's pig-like display as he gulped down the ramen.

"I see your eating habits haven't changed at all," Kakashi said still chuckling. Naruto finished slurping down the few noodles that remained in one of the bowls before responding to Kakashi.

"So Kakashi-sensei, what is it you want to ask me?" Naruto asked looking towards Kakashi.

"I told you I didn't have anything-"

"Come on Kakashi-sensei, I've been around you long enough that I can tell when you're lying. Just like I'm sure you can tell when I'm lying." Kakashi let out a "hmph" and then crossed his arms.

"I suppose that there is something that has been floating around in my mind…" Kakashi slowly moved his gaze from the counter of Ichiraku to the promise filled eyes of Naruto.

"Go on Kakashi-sensei, you can ask me anything," Naruto replied.

"It's about your parents Naruto…" Naruto flinched a little as he spoke, but then a soft smile crossed his face as his eyes hung a little lower than normal.

"My mom and dad..." Naruto's voice had also grown a little quieter than normal.

"Forgive me for intruding on such a touchy subject, but I was just curious about something."

"What is it?"

"Well… you said that your father, Minato, appeared to you during your fight with Pain, and your mother, Kushina, appeared when you fought against the nine-tails. I was just curious as to what they said to you during your brief moments together…I knew your father quite well, in fact, you could say that I'm the ninja I am today because of him. He was an inspiration to everybody in the village and to this day, he still is."

"Well," Naruto started to say, pushing his ramen bowl away from him. "My dad told me that he believed in me, and that he was proud that his son had grown to be a fine ninja. Honestly at the time, I was so overjoyed just from the fact of meeting him, that I really didn't care what he said, I was just happy I finally knew who he was. The fact that he was the fourth Hokage, and that he praised me, were just extra bonuses that really helped me get through the tough time I was having with the nine-tails. He gave his life to save me because he had faith that I would be the one that Pervy Sage talked about, the child of prophecy or whatever. He trusted me that one day, I would cleanse this world of evil, and finally bring peace the world. Even though I only had a few minutes with him, those few minutes will change my life forever."

"I see…and your mother?"

"My mom," Naruto paused and let out a quiet laugh. "She told me the story of what happened the night that the nine-tails attacked, of what they went through to keep my alive and safe. She told me their final words they said to me, just before they died sealing the nine-tails away. She also told me how her and my dad fell in love…heh, you could say that I get a lot of my habits from her ya know?"

"I never knew your mother that well personally, but I had heard about her through the talk of the village. She was quite the person so I hear."

"You really should've met her, she's a really nice person. She's also kind of funny to listen to, once she gets rambling and gets excited, she sometimes trips over her words and gets herself all confused with what she's saying." Naruto laughed a little.

"Sounds like another certain ninja I know…" Kakashi trailed off as he looked at Naruto.

"Yeah yeah, just shut up why dontcha." The two shared a brief laugh together before Kakashi spoke up again.

"I brought something for you Naruto," He said reaching into his pouch that was wrapped around his thigh. He pulled out an odd shaped kunai that had a yellow handle with makings written on it. The point of the kunai was three pronged with the center being the longest and the sides being short. Kakashi handed the kunai to Naruto, who began to twirl it around his finger.

"It's a little heavier than most kunai, but it still works just as well."

"Woah! This is neat! Where did you get this Kakashi-sensei?"

"This is one of your father's trademark kunai." Naruto paused the kunai and grasped the handle.

"This was…my dad's?" Naruto's eyes lit up a little as he continued to stare at the kunai in his hands.

"He used these to use his powerful flying thunder god technique. Those markings on the handle were what he used to mark the kunai, and he could teleport to whatever one he wanted too. He was excellent at infiltration, able to wipe out the enemy before they could even suspect anything."

"Wow…my dad sure was an amazing ninja wasn't he…"

"He was the second most amazing ninja that I have ever met."

"The second..? Who's number one?" There was a pause as Naruto stared at the face of Kakashi. Since he was wearing his mask, and he had his headband pulled over his left eye as normal, the only part of his face actually showing was his right eye, and a little bit of his face that was underneath it.

"You Naruto." Naruto gasped a little in shock as Kakashi stared into his eyes. "Not only did you inherit your father's will, but you inherited his heart and determination. Excluding your father, never before in my life have I met somebody who isn't afraid to laugh in the face of death, to keep fighting for what they believe in, to never give up. For a long time I looked up to your father, but now, I look up to you. You have saved the village countless times, and you've saved me more than once as well. When Pain attacked the village, I tried to stop him, but I failed. I had died on the battlefield, and I thought I was gone for good. When I died I got a chance to talk to my father. We didn't have as long together as I expected, but with the time we did have, I forgave him and told him that I was proud of him. Soon after, my spirit was pulled back into my body and I breathed life once again. You never gave up, and you saved this village."

"Kakashi-sensei…" Was all Naruto managed to say.

"And to this day you still never give up. You're determined to save Sasuke, no matter how far he's fallen. You know, it's kind of funny when you look at it…starting back with master Jiraiya…they've all trained at least one star pupil, and at least one rotten apple. Nagato was the one to fall under Jiraiya, and Minato was the one to rise. Under Minato, I was the one to rise, and under me, you are the one who has risen, and Sasuke the one who has fallen."

"But what about under my father…who was the one to fall?"

"I…I can't say for certain yet." _But if my guess is correct…_

"Thank you Kakashi-sensei…for everything you've done for me. You were always there backing me up and helping me get to my feet back in the day, and never once did you fail. Just you wait…team7 will me born again, I promise, and I never go back on my word…because that's my ninja way!" Kakashi's face showed happiness as he stood up from his seat and placed his hand on Naruto's head.

"You've become a fine ninja, your father was right to put his faith in you. You have so many people who believe in you Naruto, including myself." Kakashi removed his hand from Naruto's head and grabbed hold of the hand that the kunai was in. "You've surpassed me as a ninja, and I truly think that you have even surpassed your father. You're the hope that this village has now, you're the one that the people choose to look up to. You're the hero of the hidden leaf."

As Kakashi's words rung through Naruto's head it was almost like he could feel the touch of those who loved him. He could feel his father, his mother, and his master, all standing behind him and pushing him on. His grip on his father's kunai tightened as a single tear of joy began to roll down his face.


End file.
